The song’s length, 4:44, may reflect the connotation of number four as the throne of God in Hebrew symbolism. This would align with the idea that Cohen, feeling his death imminent, was preparing to be received in paradise with this song. In fact, Cohen did die on November 7, 2016, less than two months after the song was released.

A drawing by Leonard Cohen given to Cantor Zelermyer.

The song won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance at the 2018 Grammys held on Jan. 28, 2018.

What have the artists said about the song?

Regarding the choice to include Shaar Hashomayim Choir on the song, Cohen said,

Even as a boy I loved their singing. It is what made compulsory synagogue attendance enjoyable. I’ve wanted to work with the cantor and the choir for a long time. The touring years interrupted this intention. On a secondary but still urgent note, there are times when you want to show the flag, when you want to indicate that there is nourishment to be had from this culture, that it is not entirely irrelevant to the present situation, that it does not serve a nation’s best interests to reject and despise it. This is more important in some countries than in others.